Manila: The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Wednesday reported that 60 to 70 percent of farmers in areas at risk of damage in nine regions have harvested early before the onslaught of Tropical Storm Kristine (international name: Trami). In a phone interview, DA Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa cited the early harvest as 'good' considering that at least 1.3 million hectares of rice and corn are at risk of damage in the Cordillera and Ilocos Regions, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol Region, Eastern Visayas, and Caraga. "Dahil doon sa utos ni (Because of the instruction of) Secretary (Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.), about 60 to 70 percent nitong areas at risk ay nakapag-harvest na. At tama rin naman, kasi panahon din ng harvesting ngayon (have already harvested. And that's just right because it's now harvest season)," he said. De Mesa, however, said at least 15 percent may still be at risk, particularly in areas that were planted for the second or third cropping. 'Hopefully, marami ta yong na-save bago pa mag-landing si Kristine. Pero of course, hindi naman natin lahat iyon ma-harvest kasi sa ngayon mayroon ding mga areas na early na nagtanim (we saved much before the landing of Kristine. But, of course, we cannot harvest it all because there are areas at the early planting stage) after the early harvest,' he said. In terms of rice stock inventory, de Mesa assured sufficient supply, with the help of rice imports coming in. For vegetables, de Mesa said other areas may be alternative sources since Kristine may affect both highland and lowland vegetables, particularly in the Cordilleras, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and in Bicol region. 'Kung makita natin, largely yung part ng Mindanao ay hindi masyadong apektado. So pwede tayo makakuha doon at itong Western Visayas ay hindi rin apektado (As we can see, Mindanao is largely unaffected. So we can source from there, and Western Visayas is also not affected),' he said. De Mesa assured that the DA has prepositioned aid for farmer s and fishers who will be affected, including the distribution of seedlings and farm inputs, utilization of quick response funds, as well as the availability of indemnification funds and credit, among others. De Mesa further said continuous monitoring, validation, and assessment will be conducted in all affected areas. Source: Philippines News Agency